Interservice Rifle Competition Anniversary Article Features NRA's Jim Land

This InsideNOVA.com article on the 50th Anniversary of the Interservice Rifle Competition features Retired USMC Major Jim Land , who currently serves as the Sectretary of the NRA and is a VSSA member.  He will also be the guest speaker at this year's VSSA Annual meeting.  

Every year, each of the armed services send their best shooters to the IRC. The shooters compete in various events that include slow fire and rapid fire at set distances, in different shooting position, with different rifles.

Land fired the opening shot at the competition held at the Quantico Marine Corps Base on July 18th.

Fairfax County Fixes Air Rifle Ordinance Passed June 21st.

Freddie Kunkle reported yesterday on the Washington Post Virginia Politics blog that last Tuesday (July 19th), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors revisited action they took at their June 21st meeting and backed down from a possible clash with the Virginia General Assembly over the new state law related to pneumatic weapons (air guns).  The Board voted to relax local prohibitions on air guns, giving up an attempt to at least continue restrictions on air guns on parkland and school property.  That action, which was included in the amended ordinance passed on June 21st, had the consequence (unintended or not) of negatively impacting the county's school air rifle teams.

Previously, the county restricted air guns to more open areas of the county and required their owners to register them with police. Senate Bill 757, which took effect July 1, allows people to shoot air guns on private property with the owner’s permission as long as reasonable care is taken to make sure the projectiles do not cross property bounderies. 

Virginia being a commonwealth guided by the Dillon Rule, which jealously guards the state government’s preeminence over local authority, the board has always recognized that they had little choice but to go along with the new state law. But Supervisor Jeff McKay (D-Lee) and others balked at letting people traipse across parks and school properties with BB guns.

One Supervisor,  Gerald W. Hyland (D-Mount Vernon), reiterated at last week's meeting that he would like to see the county’s delegation in the General Assembly find a way to give some control back to the county on regulating pneumatic weapons when it convenes next year.

Don't look for them to have much success.  Those on various county boards and town councils who oppose the new law predict it will cause all sorts of mayhem and be a danger to communities.  As will all such predictions, they never come true.  So, there will be nothing to which they can point to justify a change.

No Suprise Here

Virginia's 10th District Congressman, Gerry Connolly took the opportunity during his time at the House Oversight Hearing on "Fast and Furious" to share his "different take" on why Fast and Furious was a failure - the fact that we, and I am paraphrasing -  regulate Sudifed more than we regulate firearms.

Connolly is no fan of the right to bear arms.

ATF Multiple Rifles Sales Rule May Be Issued By Friday

Gun rights writer Alan Korwin reported in an email last night that four BATFE agents familiar with the planned Fast and Furious gun-smuggling "fix," state the bureau plans to release a "demand letter" by the end of this week, insisting that gun dealers in the four Mexico-border states begin reporting multiple rifle sales to the bureau.

The demand letter will require that all multiple rifle sales made to the same buyer within a five-day period to be reported beginning on August 14, on a form to be announced according to the agents. The order will exclude rifles in .22 caliber, and  rifles without detachable magazines. The agents acknowledged that  congressional action, lawsuits, an injunction or other court orders might forestall the implementation of the hastily concocted scheme. Such preventive measures are already underway.

Korwin also spoke with Cam Edwards last night about the forthcoming regulation on NRANews.com.

Operation Fast and Furious Hearings

The House oversight committee is meeting now.  You can watch live at http://oversight.house.gov./.

Congratulations to VSSA's Highpower Chairman

Congratulations to Mike Jamison, VSSA's Highpower Rifle Committee Chairman, who competed in the Coventry Commonwealth Games and won the State Highpower Rifle Championship on July 16, 2001 at the Roanoke Rifle and Revolver Club.  Mike shot 790-40x out of a possible 800

Congratulations to the new State Highpower Rifle Champion.

2011 Coventry Commonwealth Games State Highpower Rifle Champion Mike Jamison (center) and Roanoke Rifle and Revolver Club match Director Michael Torre (left) who took Second Place.

Ft. Lee Dusters SCTP National Champs in Skeet

On July 13-16 the S.C.T.P. Nationals were held at The World Shooting Complex in Sparta, Illinois. There were 2220 youth registered to compete in Skeet,Trap, and Sporting Clays from 39 states. The Ft. Lee Dusters represented Virginia well. Last week I posted a brief update on the team's progress that the coach sent by email.  When they returned to Richmond on Monday, the coach sent a full report. 

The Dusters compete in the Junior Varsity division and took 1st place in Skeet and 2nd place in Sporting Clays. Lucas Meredith, the team Captain was HOA Runner-Up in Skeet shooting a 194/200 . Alex Murray was 5th overall in sporting clays shooters. Team members are Alex Murray from Drakes Branch. Lucas Meredith, Corey Shornak, and Kevin Christiansen which are from Chesterfield.The team is coached by Jeff Atkins from Farmville and John Yakshe from Lanexa. 

Fort Lee Dusters - SCTP Junior Varsity Skeet National Champions

Congratulations on a job well done.

DHS Pegs White Middle Class Males As Most Likely Terrorists

A new DHS promotional video characterizes middle class white males as the most likely terrorists.  It's part of the "See Something Say Something" program that encourages Americans to report "suspicious activity."

Janet Napolitano is such an embarrassment.

Read the article here.

Fort Lee Dusters Take 2nd Place at SCTP Nationals

Received a quick update today from the coach of the Fort Lee Dusters. The team is competing at the Scholastic Clay Target Program's (SCTP) National Championships and placed 2nd in the nation in Sporting Clays this week.  There were 33 teams competing. Forty states are represented with 1530 youth shooting. 1412 boys and 118 girls. The team shoots Skeet and Trap today and Saturday. Watch for an update as results come in.

Results of July 11, Sussex County Planning Commission Meeting

Not unexpectedly, the Sussex County Planning Commission approved regulations that would restrict the opening of new shooting ranges in Sussex County.  Existing ranges would be grandfathered but if those ranges decide to make expand or make changes, you can bet the grandfathering goes out the window.  There was no public input on the proposed ordinance because the commission took it up under old business.  The proposal now moves to the Board of Supervisors.  This is been the firewall for gun owners in the past and we need to let board members know that we would like to see this defeated once and for all.  While many of the restrictions that were previously proposed have been removed, here is what remains:

* A CPR specialist must be present when the range is in use.
* An industrial grade first aid kit mustl be maintained on site.
* A minimum liability insurance policy of $100,000 per individual and $500,000 for each occurrence.
* A zoning permit will be required before operating a range and a mountain of bureaucratic red tape to apply.
* A "licensed civil engineer" must design and construct the range in addition to numerous plans and documentation to be filed with the Planning Department.
* Signs must be placed at 100 feet intervals along the range's boundary with the words "Firing Range" and "Do Not Enter" on each sign.
* The range must be at least 500 feet from the highway and any property line.
* Any buildings on the range must be at least 300 feet from any highway right-of-way and any property line.

VSSA will alert gun owners when the proposal makes it to the Board of Supervisors.

City of Salem Postpones Vote to Comply With New Airgun Law

The Salem City Council tabled a vote on bringing the City's airgun ordinance in line with a new state law that became effective July 1st. They opted instead to draft a letter of complaint to the General Assembly. The City of Roanoke chose a similar course last month.

m.roanoke.com-Salem City Council tables revision of air gun code

Seems the council members don't like state legislators treading on territory council members believe they alone should control.

It's bad when a mostly urban Fairfax County can bring their ordinance in line with state law (albeit reluctantly) and a mostly rural city like Salem or Roanoke act like spoiled children and send letters of complaint to state law makers.

Juan Williams Targets GOP for Focusing on Fast and Furious Instead of Mexican Drug War Deaths

In an opinion piece in this morning's The Hill, Juan Williams (formerly of NPR and now full-time Fox News contributor) chastises Republicans for focusing on what he refers to as a "distraction," ATF's Fast and Furious scandal, and not giving enough attention to what he believes is the real issue across the border.

The daily horror of mass murder in Mexico hit the U.S. Congress last week in the form of scandal. Sadly, the scandal is not about the incredible loss of life in the drug wars. Instead, Republicans in Congress are busy targeting their least favorite member of the Obama cabinet, Attorney General Eric Holder.

Williams has covered the drug wars in Mexico for Fox News, so I don't doubt that he truly believes what is going on across the border is a tragedy.  He seems to share gun owners outrage that a government agency would allow guns to walk across the border into the hands of the cartel.

It is offensive to think an American government agent would hand out firearms to the drug gangs even if they thought it would help build a case they could prosecute.

ATF Director Kenneth Melson testified to Issa’s committee last week that he did not know the ATF would be unable to track the firearms.

Which is more troubling: that the head of the ATF knew this was going on or that he didn’t know?

The difference is Williams, who has expressed support for gun control in the past, apparently does not believe the failed program rises to the level of a full blown congressional investigation.

Williams should pose the same question about Eric Holder that he rhetorically asks about Melson.  Harry Truman used to say, "The Buck Stops Here."  Many believe that an operation of the type of Fast and Furious does not get authorized without knowledge from higher up.  Maybe Williams should consider that Congressman Issa believes that Holder is ultimately responsible for what happens on his watch.